There's a Begonia in her cheeks,
pink as the flush of early dawn,
on Sikkim's peaks.
-Ruskin Bond

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Kumaoni Folk Songs : General Info

When we talk of folk music ,we not only refer to the music or songs of particular place but also we refer to the culture and thinking of that particular area as folk songs reflect the culture and traditions of a particular area . In fact it is the soul of that area. You can get the feel of that particular area ,their ideas , their concerns by listening to the folk music. India has a rich tradition of folk music. The extreme cultural diversity creates endless varieties of folk styles and music. Each region has its own particular style and our kumaon is not an exception .It has its own charm of folk music.

In kumaon folk music is not taught in the same way that Indian classical music is taught. There is no formal period of apprentice where the student is able to devote their entire life to learning the music, there is no institution for folk music . The musical practicenor must still attend to their normal duties of agriculture or whatever their chosen profession is.

Music in the kumaon is learned almost by osmosis. From childhood the music is heard and imbibed along with ones mother's milk. There are numerous public activities that allow the kumaonies to practice andhone their skills. These are the normal functions which syncronise life with the universe. The music is an indispensable component of functions such as weddings, engagements, pujas and births. There is a plethora of songs for such occasions. There are also many songs associated with planting and harvesting.The lyrics of kumauni songs give different ideas . You can see the separation of love (wirah),history of kumaon and kings,love stories through those lyrics. In these activities the kumaunis routinely sing of their hopes, fears and aspirations.

The musical instruments are often different from those found in classical music. Although instruments like the tabla may sometimes be found . But generally you will found "dhol", "majeera ", "Duf" , "Hudkiya" .Flute etc. These instruments are innumerable

Friends You do like kumauni folk songs? Oh, its good !! I like it too! My favorites songs are the modern songs, like the ones by Gopal Babu Goswami. I occasionally listen to folk music too and try to understand the meaning .To those of you who are not familiar with Kumauni Folk let me briefly explain (in my own definition and I am not an expert...correct me if I m wrong). Basically, there are three types of music in kuamaon.

Lok Geet or the folk songs : This type of music is deeply rooted in the culture. When it comes to true enjoyment, it is always the Lok dhun(folk music). Lok dhun is popular during celebrations and festivals, and also in everyday life.The lyrics of these type songs are in kumauni.

Mixed songs : type of music is borrowed by some other area like Brij, Awadh . Our Hori geet are the best example of this.

Modern Songs : Third type is the Aadhunik or the modern music. This type can be said to be influenced by foreign culture like the western or Indian.

If we talk of popular music of kumaon..only one name comes in the mind that is of Gopal Babu Goswami. His songs ar very popular and simple.

The main categories of folk songs in kumauni are....

Shakunakhar , Rituraina , Hudkiabaul , Jagar ,Malushahi , Chhapali, Jhoda, Ramaul, Bhada ,Bair ,Hori. The wedding songs ,puja geet ,hori geet those can be put in a separate category as now a days lot of parody songs , borrowed folk songs are also the part of those.